’Napalm girl’ Kim Phúc awarded Dresden Peace Prize

February 12, 2019 - 16:20

Phan Thi Kim Phúc, known as the “napalm girl” in an iconic photo taken during wartime in Việt Nam in 1972, on February 11 received Germany’s Dresden Peace Prize for her work for peace.

Phan Thị Kim Phúc on Monday received Germany’s Dresden Peace Prize for her work for peace. — AFP Photo
Viet Nam News

BERLIN – Phan Thị Kim Phúc, known as the “napalm girl” in an iconic photo taken during wartime in Việt Nam in 1972, on Monday received Germany’s Dresden Peace Prize for her work for peace.

The 55-year-old woman was honoured for her support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and children wounded in war, and for speaking out against violence and hatred. She received 10,000 euros (US$11,350) in cash.

Hoping to join efforts in building a better world, Phúc set up a fund in 2002, which has made significant contributions to the construction of schools, orphanages, and healthcare facilities worldwide. A library for children in her hometown, Trảng Bàng District, Tây Ninh Province, is Phúc’s latest project.

Phúc was nine years old when napalm bombs ravaged her village in 1972. The image of her running down the road in tears, naked and severely burned, was captured by Vietnamese-American Associated Press photographer Nick Út, who won a Pulitzer Prize for the photo a year later.

In 2015, she travelled to Miami to visit a dermatologist, hoping to relieve the aches and pains caused by the burns.

Phúc now lives in Canada with her husband and two sons. — VNS

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